Latin term (edited): summis auspiciis

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SUMMIS AUSPICIIS REI PUBLICAE BOHEMICAE. UNIVERSITAS CAROLINA PRAGENSIS. NOS RECTOR UNIVERSITATIS. ET DECANUS FACULTATIS MEDICAE .............. ...
Here is a quote from someone who had to translate a Latin diploma and found the following:
"We had to translate yesterday a Latin diploma ($50 for a half-hour's work) from a Czech Republic medical school that began with the mysterious acronym "Q.B.F.F.F.F.Q.S." All the Google results for that string were in Czech. Finally, we were able to trianulate, through much sophisticated searching [We lie, it was XRefer] a Web-savvy classicist to clue us in :
When in the earliest times the king or the custos urbis, after consulting the pleasure of the gods by auspices, had convoked the senate (senatum edicere, convocare), he opened the session with the words: "Quod bonum, faustum, felix fortunatumque sit populo Romano Quiritibus," and then laid before the assembly (referre, relatio) what he had to propose. The president then called upon the members to discuss the matter, and when the discussion was over, every member gave his vote. The majority of votes always decided a question. The majority was ascertained either by numeratio or by discessio, that is, the president either counted the votes (Festus, s.v. Numera), or the members who voted on the same side joined together, and thus separated from those who voted otherwise. This latter method of voting appears in later times to have been the usual one, and according to Capito (ap. Gell. xiv.7), the only legitimate method.

That is "may it be beneficial, well-omenen, fruitful, and fortunate for the Roman people and the Quirites [citizens of Rome]." In this case, the diploma substituted "summis auspiciis rei publicae Bohemiae" or "the highest authorities, or illustrious founders, of the Czech Republic."

This form is the dative plural of "summum auspicium" (the highest authority) because apparently the right to read the auspices of birds (auspicium) for the Roman army was given to the commander, hence associated with authority.



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Note added at 12 hrs (2006-05-11 14:50:36 GMT)
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Thank you to Joseph for your comment. The series of letters before summis auspiciis in some diplomas does contain both adjectives: bonum and faustum: "Quod bonum, faustum, felix fortunatumque sit populo Romano Quiritibus."
If the diploma does not contain these words, then I agree with you on the ablative. Thank you all for the discussion!

More literally, 'with the best tokens', i.e., signs of ability. Properly 'auspicia' refers to the 'auspices', or divination by birds, conducted by Roman magistrates (in peacetime; during war, they could be conducted only by the commander-in-chief in the field). Hence it came to mean 'guidance' or 'power' or even 'right'. But it also came to be used concretely of the 'sign' or 'omen' supplied by the observation of the flight of the birds themselves, and so, by extension, of any person or thing which shows promise or ability or talent. It may therefore be nearly synonymous with 'magna cum laude'.

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Note added at 12 hrs (2006-05-11 15:07:52 GMT)
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Incidentally, since we've strayed almost completely off the subject, the correct vocative singular form 'bonus vir' is 'bone vir'. Most of my students know this by the end of their first week of class.